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NYC demolition company will have to pay workers combined $1.4M over alleged violations
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 21, 2025
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Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 21, 2025
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A New York City demolition company will have to pay hundreds of workers a combined $1.4 million under a restitution agreement with the New York attorney general’s office, after the company allegedly denied workers compensation on a regular basis for years.
Prosecutors said Alba Services agreed to pay the funds to 700 former and current employees. The AG’s office said investigators found the company had explicitly instructed many of the employees to not file claims with the Workers Compensation Board, and retaliated against those who tried to lodge the complaints.
Investigators found that between 2016 and 2024, Alba reported fewer than half of the injuries it was legally required to, artificially keeping claims low and reducing insurance costs, according to the AG’s office.
“For nearly a decade, Alba silenced injured workers, manipulated insurance costs, and allowed a culture of harassment to fester on its worksites,” Attorney General Letitia James said. “We have made sure that Alba can no longer threaten, intimidate or exploit its workforce. My office will never allow companies to cheat workers out of their rights or create hostile workplaces that endanger their safety and dignity.”
Alba hasn't returned a request for comment.
According to the attorney general’s office, Alba retaliated against employees who sought to file claims through threats, harassment and financial incentives to keep quiet. At least twice, Alba posted fliers of employees who filed claims threatening criminal prosecution and offering money to anyone with any information, the AG’s office said.
The company’s owner, Andrew Horan, sent texts to his foremen illegally naming employees who filed claims and asking for information about them in exchange for money, prosecutors said.
The AG’s office also said the company interfered with employees’ medical treatment, sending company representatives to accompany employees on appointments and misrepresent how and where they were injured. The company would direct workers to specific clinics it had agreements with to conceal workplace injuries and block workers compensation claims, according to prosecutors.
In some cases Alba directed them to use urgent care centers for serious injuries that required emergency room care, the AG’s office said..
Beyond workers compensation rights violations, prosecutors said the company also violated employees’ human rights, failing to prevent sexual harassment and retaliating against employees who reported misconduct.
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Catalina Gonella
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